It certainly says something about our culture, when a sitting senator, purportedly a more responsible figure than just the run of the mill yous and mes, gets a suspension from a social media platform for violating its rules against COVID-19 misinformation. That’s the case. Ron Johnson is on a seven-day time out from You Tube and if he persists in misinformation, he can be booted from the platform altogether. Then he and Trump can cry on each other’s shoulder. The Hill:
The platform said it also removed a video from Johnson in line with its policies against COVID-19 misinformation. The video had highlighted Johnson’s remarks from a hearing where he discussed experimental treatments for COVID-19 like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
“We removed the video in accordance with our COVID-19 medical misinformation policies, which don’t allow content that encourages people to use Hydroxychloroquine or Ivermectin to treat or prevent the virus,” a YouTube spokesperson told The Hill. […]
The video that was taken down showed Johnson tearing into the Biden administration over its response to the pandemic and touting the two drugs, which are unproven as treatments for the virus.
“It always baffled me that there was such a concerted effort to deny the American public the type of robust exploration research into early treatment early in this pandemic,” Johnson said before calling ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine “incredibly safe.”
Johnson tore into YouTube’s decision on Friday, casting it as emblematic of “Big Tech’s” power.
Wisconsin needs to do itself a favor and get rid of RoJo. He is truly an embarrassment. Either he doesn’t know he’s being grotesquely irresponsible by talking this crazy conspiracy theory talk, or his powers of discernment are so limited that he actually thinks that fish tank cleaner and the like is a cure for the coronavirus. Either way, this is not somebody you want to entrust with the responsibility of lawmaking.
Please, Wisconsin. For yourself and for the rest of us, this guy belongs in the stone age, not the Senate.
I’m hoping he gets banned. He’s a liar. He’s also owned by Putin.
“Johnson tore into YouTube’s decision on Friday, casting it as emblematic of “Big Tech’s” power.”
Well, Senator, you might consider the fact that YOU agreed to YouTube’s terms of service when YOU decided to upload a video. Hell, I’ve posted comments on various sites that get “sent to moderation” (or, even worse, blocked completely) because I dared to use terms that *might* offend people (oddly, I’ve seen comments using pretty demeaning and derogatory language get through–and I’ve ended up reporting–that was far more offensive in my opinion than anything that triggered a “warning” notice in my comment/s).
It has NOTHING to do with “Big Tech’s power”; it has to do with recognizing that you are a GUEST to the site. If you’re so offended, there is NOTHING to stop you from creating your own video platform (well, nothing beside your own lack of technical ability to create such a forum). If you were invited to someone’s home and you started making comments that your hosts found offensive, would you complain when they ask you to leave? (Of course, I can’t imagine anyone with a functioning brain cell who would invite you into their home but that’s a different matter.)
Additionally, it’s not like you’ve been removed completely. You’re on a “time-out” to make you reconsider the type of videos you post in the future–and, hopefully, you’ve been made fully aware as to the nature of your offense. They hope you will learn from your mistake and, when you return, you won’t post LIES.
He’s a guest of their site as well as a customer. Any business owner has the right to refuse service. These people keep forgetting the “no shoes, no shirt, no service”. The current equivalent could be no mask, no service. The same would apply, as you say, to violating terms of use. I guess they are not guilty of really thinking.
DK is one of the snowflake sites in regard to moderating but they are VERY inconsistent in the application of this moderation. I made a comment about Susan Collins’ (and this is a quote) “pearl clutching” (that is all BTW), and have not been allowed back on to comment. Showercap’s blog however uses language such as which would get one banned from many sites immediately and has yet to suffer any consequences. That is just one example but “moderation” and “Terms of Service” are relative things apparently. I would say it depends upon who is moderating for the day and they have more power than they should given the uneven application of it.
Still, it’s up to the business providing the platform and if RoJo the clown doesn’t like it, he shouldn’t have been such a champion for corporations-it’s people like him who gave them the power to do whatever they please through legislation and then stacked the courts to make sure they hold onto it.
“You agreed to so-and-so’s agreement” is no longer a strong argument. Many if not most agreements these days are wholly unilateral. Agreements used to be mutually agreed upon, but these days consumers are compelled to simply accept them. There is zero expectation that the consumer will even read the agreement. In fact, often the agreement is not even readily available to be read or in a form that is easily read. See what happens if you insist upon reading the privacy policies of a medical provider. You are expected to check a box that you received and understood the policies when you fill out their intake form, but rarely does the receptionist give you a copy. If you ask for one, they often act resentful of your request. Also according to the law, id a provision of an agreement is found to be unlawful, you are not bound by it. Nevertheless, in this situation, Johnson is just whining. It would be irresponsible for YouTube to allow potentially dangerous misinformation to be published and spread.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has a notable biology program, so at least some people are not total imbeciles there. As far as I know, hydroxychloroquine is not particularly effective, however, you should make a mental note that it is a steroid. It’s very slow-acting, so in treatment, other steroids are far more effective, but I suppose to be “fair”, a sufficiently complete analysis of the long-term (prior and continued) use of HCQ __might__ be still possibly lacking.
?? It doesn’t fit any definition of steroid I know of.
There is evidence both for and against its use from around the world, only some of it even close to statistically useful. The largest and best controlled studies found minimal benefit. If it is of any use at all, it is only when given extremely early in the course of the disease, it won’t save the seriously ill. Search for “all hdroxychloroquine studies”, there is a site that lists them all (including the one with a p value of 1.0!)
I had a co-worker who retired recently who claimed HCQ was more effective than they were letting on. His “proof’ was the lack of covid cases in Africa and how HCQ was prevalent to treat malaria. Two problems:
There are likely more cases than are being accounted for if South Africa’s new variant is anything to go by,
Malaria is a problem child in many, many tropical/sub-tropical regions of the world. Surely HCQ is in use to treat malaria in those regions (what come immediately to mind is Brazil) and yet the caseloads are quite high in countries not taking measures to mitigate the spread.
Of course, using logic on the HCQ crowd is like using a child’s blankie to put out of wildfire-not worth the effort.
He also claims sea levels are rising, because rocks keep falling in the water. In some far away, long forgotten universe, in the deep recesses of his atrophied mind, there could be a kernel of truth in that. Just don’t say it out loud, otherwise it will become the republican’s newest craze.
Nobody should be advising another on treatment drugs besides a medical professional! This craziness has to stop. One thing trump did the last 4 years is encourage lies a deciet, he made it a norm to be a liar it’s so sad truth and honor are no more
Someone as stupid as this creature shouldn’t be given power over the remote control. Another brainless soulless creature. “I could make a better man out of a banana.” Kurt Vonnegut. So phucking true.
I find it hysterical that these whiny lil politicians love to blame “big tech” as having to much power! Yet 2 of those whiny lil assholes are going to help democracy die as the openly oppose voting for voters rights and to kill the filibuster…………….Old ron is just a tool of trump……….whine whine whine!